I am a lazy blogger. The worst. I disappear months at a time and reappear with what I deem to be insightful quips. I continue to read Seth Godin's advice that in order to be taken seriously, one needs to blog at least once a week. I see other articles stating that not having time to blog is like not having time to eat lunch. So, I am working to correct my laziness and keep the half-dozens of my followers better informed...and I am committing to this BEFORE the New Year!
And this brings me to my point today. The New Year is a convenient time to make resolutions and identify areas of change and improvement. But real change and improvement needs to be a daily occurrence. In a global, technology driven world, change happens continually. If we are not looking at our own standard operating procedures and making daily improvements, then we are falling behind. Part of our responsibility with change is to open ourselves up to the constructive criticism of our peers. Complete trust and transparency with our business colleagues, friends and family should be the end goal for all of us. I encourage you to identify what changes you want to make not only in 2011, but each day leading up to the New Year.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Who Is In Your Tickler File?
Having spent nearly seven years as a technical staffing consultant for a large privately held staffing company, I developed quite a tickler file. Not only did I have an expansive file, but I had a routine of when to follow up with former, current and potential business partners. It was a routine that became habit. I knew who I was going to call what day of the month and what I was going to say when I got that person on the other end of the phone. I was much better at tickler calls, and enjoyed them immensely more, than cold calls. But I understood that both types of calls served a purpose.
Today, working in a new sector and in a different position, I still make tickler calls. However, I probably don't do them as religiously as I used to. Part of that reason is because it is easier to send an email or a text or an IM or a tweet or a facebook message or a link to convey your desire to stay connected with that individual. Although I greatly support and utilize all of the above technologies, sometimes they still are not as fast or effective as a phone call. By the time I get a decision completed via an email thread, I could have easily spoken to that person directly and came to a solution faster. The phone is still a synchronous form of communication which eliminates confusion about interpreting the tone of an email or having to translate a text.
Communication options for all of us are changing daily. In my opinion however, the best way to truly stay connected now and in the future with business partners, colleagues, friends and family is through phone technology.
Today, working in a new sector and in a different position, I still make tickler calls. However, I probably don't do them as religiously as I used to. Part of that reason is because it is easier to send an email or a text or an IM or a tweet or a facebook message or a link to convey your desire to stay connected with that individual. Although I greatly support and utilize all of the above technologies, sometimes they still are not as fast or effective as a phone call. By the time I get a decision completed via an email thread, I could have easily spoken to that person directly and came to a solution faster. The phone is still a synchronous form of communication which eliminates confusion about interpreting the tone of an email or having to translate a text.
Communication options for all of us are changing daily. In my opinion however, the best way to truly stay connected now and in the future with business partners, colleagues, friends and family is through phone technology.
Monday, April 19, 2010
What's Your Obstacle?
Like many, I am caught up in HBO's latest 10 part mini-series, The Pacific. It is an incredibly well-done biography on US Marines and their stories during World War II. For those that don't watch the show, I will not bore you with a lot of details surrounding the characters and their individual struggles. But I will simply say that in Part 6, there is a very long scene that entails US soldiers having to cross an air field that is under significant Japanese fortification. Needless to say, there is a feeling of impending doom and tragedy for every soldier as they each individually prepare to cross this airfield that they have been ordered to take over. The cliche questions that went through my mind and those friends of mine that watch the show were "how were they able to do that?" and "could I have done that if ordered to do so?"
Clearly I am not comparing the circumstances of the US Marines in World War II to that of our every day lives. But I will say that all of us routinely face difficult situations and many times after we get through those tough times, people ask "how were you able to get through that?" We all have a reservoir of resolve that runs deeper than even we sometimes realize. In some cases, we may have extra resolve that we can give to others in order to help them through their own struggles. Finding a way to utilize and share your own resources as well as reaching out to others when your reservoir is empty are keys to making it through your next fortified obstacle.
Clearly I am not comparing the circumstances of the US Marines in World War II to that of our every day lives. But I will say that all of us routinely face difficult situations and many times after we get through those tough times, people ask "how were you able to get through that?" We all have a reservoir of resolve that runs deeper than even we sometimes realize. In some cases, we may have extra resolve that we can give to others in order to help them through their own struggles. Finding a way to utilize and share your own resources as well as reaching out to others when your reservoir is empty are keys to making it through your next fortified obstacle.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Nimble Enthusiasm
One of the things that I enjoy so much about my job with Harrison College is the opportunity to work in an environment that supports nimble enthusiasm. The education market is one of hundreds that are currently experiencing rapid growth and transformation due in a large part to changes in technology and delivery platforms. In order to stay viable, organizations and companies must be able to change and adapt quickly. Strategic plans can no longer be set in 5-10 year increments as changes will occur much faster than that time frame will allow. Prospering organizations must have people that are nimble and embrace change with passion and enthusiasm...or else become irrelevant.
Change is difficult, but institutions that hire talent passionate about change for the betterment of the organization will set the standard for the next decade and beyond. Nimble enthusiasm is not something that everyone immediately possesses. But as one division begins to embrace its ability to quickly adapt to a changing environment and collaborates with other divisions, the snow ball of momentum can be incredibly powerful. The final challenge with nimble enthusiasm though is to make the effort to get as many people on the bus as possible. It is easy to say "get on board with change or self select yourself off of this bus." However, not everyone is going to understand the need for change immediately. If leadership were easy, then everyone would do it. The difficult part of leading and collaborating is helping others see the value of change and then helping them gain excitement about that change. So the million dollar question is, if you are a nimble enthusiastic leader, how are you going to impart your passion on someone else?
Change is difficult, but institutions that hire talent passionate about change for the betterment of the organization will set the standard for the next decade and beyond. Nimble enthusiasm is not something that everyone immediately possesses. But as one division begins to embrace its ability to quickly adapt to a changing environment and collaborates with other divisions, the snow ball of momentum can be incredibly powerful. The final challenge with nimble enthusiasm though is to make the effort to get as many people on the bus as possible. It is easy to say "get on board with change or self select yourself off of this bus." However, not everyone is going to understand the need for change immediately. If leadership were easy, then everyone would do it. The difficult part of leading and collaborating is helping others see the value of change and then helping them gain excitement about that change. So the million dollar question is, if you are a nimble enthusiastic leader, how are you going to impart your passion on someone else?
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
You've Got to Stay Positive
Well, again it appears that I have fallen off the face of the earth and have gone without writing for a VERY long stretch this time. For the faithful few followers, I apologize. But chances are, my personal time space continuum will lapse again in the future. It happens.
But, it is the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. This has been a night that has been marked with a number of memories over the years. Friends that I grew up with in my hometown that are back there or never left are likely at one place and one place only tonight...Howard's Club H in Bowling Green, OH. Unfortunately, I have not been back to Howard's in a long time. But I am thinking of my friends and thankful to know, and in some cases, to have known them all.
My family will be doing some travelling this weekend and heading to our regular destination, where I will see a good deal of my family, with the exception of my brother and his brood. This will mark one of the few times (sans hockey tournaments growing up) that my brother and I will not see each other over this weekend. The reason why? Well, my brother and his wife who were already blessed with a son (my godson) experienced the joy of twins a number of months ago. Logistically, it makes sense for my brother and his family to stay connected to their home base this year.
So, where does all of this leave my mindset? Ironically, as I was driving home from work tonight, I was thinking of my old hometown and the night before Thanksgiving tradition and the fact that I would not be seeing my brother this weekend. All obvious set-ups for me to focus on the maudlin instead of the positive. In that moment, or several moments to make this a bit less cliché', the song "You've Gotta Stay Positive" by "The Hold Steady" came on my iPod. First of all, if you haven't heard of The Hold Steady, I highly recommend them. But second of all, the song makes you want to rock out and genuinely want to stay or become positive. Further irony is that my brother and I stumbled across this band somewhat at the same time and shared fully paid for and licensed songs off of various albums. The end game is that despite life changes, obstacles, personal tragedies, transitions, down economies, global warming, the erosion of good oral hygiene, etc. life can still be trended to the positive if you take yourself there.
But, it is the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. This has been a night that has been marked with a number of memories over the years. Friends that I grew up with in my hometown that are back there or never left are likely at one place and one place only tonight...Howard's Club H in Bowling Green, OH. Unfortunately, I have not been back to Howard's in a long time. But I am thinking of my friends and thankful to know, and in some cases, to have known them all.
My family will be doing some travelling this weekend and heading to our regular destination, where I will see a good deal of my family, with the exception of my brother and his brood. This will mark one of the few times (sans hockey tournaments growing up) that my brother and I will not see each other over this weekend. The reason why? Well, my brother and his wife who were already blessed with a son (my godson) experienced the joy of twins a number of months ago. Logistically, it makes sense for my brother and his family to stay connected to their home base this year.
So, where does all of this leave my mindset? Ironically, as I was driving home from work tonight, I was thinking of my old hometown and the night before Thanksgiving tradition and the fact that I would not be seeing my brother this weekend. All obvious set-ups for me to focus on the maudlin instead of the positive. In that moment, or several moments to make this a bit less cliché', the song "You've Gotta Stay Positive" by "The Hold Steady" came on my iPod. First of all, if you haven't heard of The Hold Steady, I highly recommend them. But second of all, the song makes you want to rock out and genuinely want to stay or become positive. Further irony is that my brother and I stumbled across this band somewhat at the same time and shared fully paid for and licensed songs off of various albums. The end game is that despite life changes, obstacles, personal tragedies, transitions, down economies, global warming, the erosion of good oral hygiene, etc. life can still be trended to the positive if you take yourself there.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Career College Association
What can I say? This summer has been fast moving and rather time consuming with travel. Hence, my submissions have been less than frequent.
Most recently, I was in Maryland attending the CCA (Career College Association) Leadership Institute. The six day leadership training program included 54 individuals representing colleges and institutions from the majority of the United States. I met many incredible people, some of which have been in the career college industry for years, and others like myself, have only recently joined the industry. But two themes ran constant throughout the conference...collaboration and caring. I met many folks who were from "competing" institutions, but at no time did we ever hesitate to share best practices or ideas to help make each of our schools better. The level of caring and concern for students within this sector was extremely evident amongst all of my new colleagues. There is definitely a needed space for schools like mine and those represented at the CCA Institute. It was great to see so many people examine ways to make improvements to better position their students and future graduates for success.
I left the conference feeling very fortunate to work in such an incredible industry. Despite the fact that career college's tend to fall to the bottom of the totem poll in terms of government support and recognition, I felt great about our place in education when I left. If the people that I had the pleasure to meet and work with over the six day long institute are an indication of the people I will be associating with over the next number of years, I feel great about the direction we are heading.
There is still a place for competition within the career college sector. But competition rooted in making things better for the students we serve will only make all of the players in this industry flourish to new heights.
Most recently, I was in Maryland attending the CCA (Career College Association) Leadership Institute. The six day leadership training program included 54 individuals representing colleges and institutions from the majority of the United States. I met many incredible people, some of which have been in the career college industry for years, and others like myself, have only recently joined the industry. But two themes ran constant throughout the conference...collaboration and caring. I met many folks who were from "competing" institutions, but at no time did we ever hesitate to share best practices or ideas to help make each of our schools better. The level of caring and concern for students within this sector was extremely evident amongst all of my new colleagues. There is definitely a needed space for schools like mine and those represented at the CCA Institute. It was great to see so many people examine ways to make improvements to better position their students and future graduates for success.
I left the conference feeling very fortunate to work in such an incredible industry. Despite the fact that career college's tend to fall to the bottom of the totem poll in terms of government support and recognition, I felt great about our place in education when I left. If the people that I had the pleasure to meet and work with over the six day long institute are an indication of the people I will be associating with over the next number of years, I feel great about the direction we are heading.
There is still a place for competition within the career college sector. But competition rooted in making things better for the students we serve will only make all of the players in this industry flourish to new heights.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Without Falcon Hockey...
Sorry to have been away for so long. I could go through a list of uninspired excuses, but I won't put you through that. I will simply say, life has been great lately, but extremely busy. And when I get busy, my mind doesn't work as creatively as I wish it would.
That being said, I wanted to highlight a topic that means a lot to me...The Bowling Green State University Falcons men's ice hockey team. For those that don't know, the Pittsburgh Penguins just won this year's Stanley Cup. The coach of the Penguins, who was brought up to the team with only 25 games left in the regular season, was Dan Bylsma. Dan is a friend of mine and a friend of my family's, so it was particularly enjoyable to watch him guide his team to victory. More relevant, Dan went to and graduated from BGSU, where he and his older brother both played hockey. Dan's success within hockey made me start thinking about some of my own successes in and around hockey. Further, it made me think about what impact I could have on the BGSU hockey team in helping it avoid being eliminated in the near future. After doing minimal research, I discovered that BGSU is offering a ticket package for out of state individuals. The ticket package is $120, and the tickets are distributed to under-privileged youth. This led me to the following list of thoughts:
Without Falcon hockey, chances are I wouldn’t have played hockey, and chances are then that my brother Brian wouldn’t have played hockey. Without Falcon hockey, my Dad probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be my coach or manager. Without Falcon hockey, I probably wouldn’t have gotten to see my brother win a State Title and play in three straight state title games. Without Falcon hockey my family wouldn’t still be able to laugh about countless private jokes that occurred while driving everywhere for games and practices. Without Falcon hockey I wouldn’t have gotten to see Niagara Falls or visited BGSU players' families in Canada. Without Falcon hockey our family wouldn’t have met and known nearly as many people in Bowling Green. Without Falcon hockey, my parents, brother and I wouldn’t have had a standing family date night on most Friday and Saturday nights around 7:30 during the fall and winter. Without Falcon hockey, I wouldn’t be able to say proudly that I attended a University that has won a Division I National Championship. Without Falcon hockey, we definitely would not be a hockey family who travelled all over this country and Canada together and separately.
To me, whether my small donation of $120 helps saves the program or not, it will at least give some under-privileged kids an opportunity to see a game or two. Who knows what that will mean for them or their future families? It certainly means and has meant a tremendous amount to me.
That being said, I wanted to highlight a topic that means a lot to me...The Bowling Green State University Falcons men's ice hockey team. For those that don't know, the Pittsburgh Penguins just won this year's Stanley Cup. The coach of the Penguins, who was brought up to the team with only 25 games left in the regular season, was Dan Bylsma. Dan is a friend of mine and a friend of my family's, so it was particularly enjoyable to watch him guide his team to victory. More relevant, Dan went to and graduated from BGSU, where he and his older brother both played hockey. Dan's success within hockey made me start thinking about some of my own successes in and around hockey. Further, it made me think about what impact I could have on the BGSU hockey team in helping it avoid being eliminated in the near future. After doing minimal research, I discovered that BGSU is offering a ticket package for out of state individuals. The ticket package is $120, and the tickets are distributed to under-privileged youth. This led me to the following list of thoughts:
Without Falcon hockey, chances are I wouldn’t have played hockey, and chances are then that my brother Brian wouldn’t have played hockey. Without Falcon hockey, my Dad probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be my coach or manager. Without Falcon hockey, I probably wouldn’t have gotten to see my brother win a State Title and play in three straight state title games. Without Falcon hockey my family wouldn’t still be able to laugh about countless private jokes that occurred while driving everywhere for games and practices. Without Falcon hockey I wouldn’t have gotten to see Niagara Falls or visited BGSU players' families in Canada. Without Falcon hockey our family wouldn’t have met and known nearly as many people in Bowling Green. Without Falcon hockey, my parents, brother and I wouldn’t have had a standing family date night on most Friday and Saturday nights around 7:30 during the fall and winter. Without Falcon hockey, I wouldn’t be able to say proudly that I attended a University that has won a Division I National Championship. Without Falcon hockey, we definitely would not be a hockey family who travelled all over this country and Canada together and separately.
To me, whether my small donation of $120 helps saves the program or not, it will at least give some under-privileged kids an opportunity to see a game or two. Who knows what that will mean for them or their future families? It certainly means and has meant a tremendous amount to me.
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